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August 3, 2013

Recipe: Homemade Gourmet Ketchup + a Printable Vintage Catsup Label

If someone had told me one year ago that I'd someday be singing the praises of ketchup, I would have told them to take their crystal ball in to be serviced. Unless it's mixed up in a fry sauce or is on a burger, I've been perfectly content to live my life without that high fructose laden tomato condiment. That all changed a few months ago, however, when my family stopped for a bite at a wonderful little cafe and charcuterie in Solvang, CA.

Served alongside my daughter's house-cured hotdog and crispy potato wedges at Succulent Cafe was a homemade ketchup like no other. "Try this!" my husband insisted. I threw him the "You know I don't eat ketchup {dorkpie} !" face. "Seriously. You have to try it," he persisted. He would not relent till I tried it. I'm glad I gave in. The homemade ketchup had a rich tomato flavor, not too sweet and the perfect tang. The flavor was so complex that we found ourselves wanting to eat it with a spoon long after the fries were gone...

...Fast forward to last week...

Just click on the image above to download for personal use.

While browsing a local antique mall, I came across a beautiful vintage catsup label. It was just the inspiration I needed to try making my own gourmet ketchup at home.

I used a recipe from my favorite culinary experts, the folks at Cook's Illustrated. On a tip from childhood friend, Kara, I added harissa to half of the homemade ketchup. My kids couldn't get enough of the plain homemade ketchup, and my husband and I are hooked on the slightly spicier and more aromatic harissa version.

Ketchup, Catsup, whatever you like to call it -- is it worth the time and effort to make at home? Absolutely! The only danger is that once you've had it, it'll be hard to go back to the pre-made stuff. It's like eating a jarred spaghetti sauce after growing up with an Italian grandma's homemade, simmered all day and cooked with love, sauce.

The homemade harissa ketchup makes a mean fry sauce too! Just add 1 Tablespoon of the homemade ketchup to 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise and stir in two finely chopped cornichons.

Step 2: Heat the oil and cloves in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until oil begins to bubble. Continue to cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and discard the cloves.

Step 3: Return strained clove oil to the now-empty saucepan and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened (5-7 minutes). Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Step 4: Transfer to blender, add tomatoes and process (in batches if necessary) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return tomato mixture to the now-empty pot, and stir in brown sugar, vienegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Secure twine of spice bag to the handle of the pot and submerge the bag in the tomato mixture.

Step 5: Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is dark red, thick, and reduced to about 4 cups (about 2 hours).

Step 6: Remove spice bag. Strain ketchup through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, pressing on solids. Let ketchup cool to room temperature, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 7: Optional -- stir in 3 Tablespoons of harissa for every 1 cup of ketchup.

Step 8: Pour cooled ketchup into jars or plastic squeeze bottles with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate. The homemade ketchup can be refrigerated for up to a month.

If you'd like to personalize your labels, here's a free sheet you can download and customize in MS Word.